Helicopter Carrying Destroyer To Become Artificial Reef

[canadianreefer]

This was on the net today from CFM Esquimalt. A press release from the ARSBC and CARC should be out for the end of the week. The ship will be moved on the weekend.

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CFB Esquimalt, Home of the Pacific Fleet
June 2, 2008 | Vol 53 | No 22
Annapolis makes her final departure
NCdt Peter Drysdale
Contributor
June 2, 2008
The stripped-out hull of former HMC Ship Annapolis, a familiar sight in
Esquimalt Harbour during the last decade, will be on the move next week.
The ship’s final voyage is expected June 8 when the Artificial Reef Society of
B.C. (ARSBC) tows it to Howe Sound for final preparations before being
sunk.

It will be moored at Long Bay on Gambier Island to undergo reclamation and
environmental clean up.

“Plans are to have Annapolis serve as a new reef habitat for rock fish and
other aquatic animals in the Howe Sound region,” says Howie Robins,
President of the ARSBC.

Paid off in 1998, Annapolis has been tied up to G jetty in Colwood for the last
eight years; a reminder of the days when steam powered ships dominated
the world’s navies.

Annapolis was the last of the West Coast steam turbine, helicopter-carrying
destroyer escorts. Based on the St. Laurent Class destroyer escorts, Annapolis was commissioned in December 1964. At the time she was considered the most modern of Canada’s fleet. In August 1989, Annapolis was transferred from Halifax to Esquimalt where it joined the Pacific fleet.

Annapolis was deployed on exercises and operations finally being turned over to Crown Assets for disposalin 1998.After a failed attempt in 1999 to make the ship a floating museum, the Artificial Reef Society successfullywon the bid to purchase the ship, taking possession of Annapolis April 1, 2008.

 

[DeNomad]

Nice, hopefully it'll end up being a good dive spot!

 

[Wetsuit 4 life]

It'll be nice to have an artificial wreck of a destroyer so closer to Vancouver; two of the local dive shops are trying to organize cleaning trips with the ARSBC, The Vancouver Diving Locker and UBC Aqua Society. There’s also an email address at ARSBC web site for anyone interested .

 

[sunkmail]

I know of at least 2 other dive shops that are working on this.

In all likelyhood, all the local shops have probably been asked to help out, if they can.

 

[reefduffer]

Helicopter Carrying Destroyer To Become Artificial Reef

Oh man ... I was seriously hoping for pictures of a helicopter carrying a destroyer!
Even gutted and stripped, that would be amazing.

Sorry, not picking on anybody - English is a funny language sometimes.
Just thought I'd share my mental image of the mother of all cargo helicopters.

 

[canadianreefer]

The full definition is DDH for this class of ships. I belive that means destroyer with helicopter. Naval jargon is often as difficult as english!!!

 

[wedivebc]

The full definition is DDH for this class of ships. I belive that means destroyer with helicopter. Naval jargon is often as difficult as english!!!

Like the baseball cap with the fur earmuffs I was issued when I joined the navy was known to the storesmen as "cap, mans, ridiculous"